Tracy Early

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

The New York religion journalist Tracy Early has passed away. He seems to have been a remarkable character. At his memorial service his friend Doris Dyke quoted from a letter he wrote to her:

"My own religious orientation seems to have more affinity for Tillich’s approach of living on the boundary between church and world, rather
than Barth’s explicit evangelical commitment. But somehow I’ve wound up admiring Barth as a person much more. Barth at the end of his life was visiting prisoners and preaching the Gospel to them, while Tillich was shining with the Harvard intellectuals and taking pride in not going to church. I cannot quite see how a Christian theologian can say meeting with fellow Christians for prayer and praise and celebration of communion is optional." Thanks David Williamson